Tractor.



D. B. BLAISDELL.

' TRACTOR.

APPLICATION FILED J'AN.10, 1914.

L 17,966.' Patented Nov. 24, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

W/ T/VESSES UWE/V TOR D.B.BLAISDELL TRACTR.

. A APPLIQATION FILED JAN 10,1914 1,1 1 7,966. Patented 11011.24, 1914.

` 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. @2973, ,9 18

UNITED STATES vPairiaivr oF-nioE.

navi-'nennen BLAIsnELL, or' BRooxLYN,'-.N Ew vonk.

"rnac'rong To aZZ whom it may concern Be it'known that I, DAVID BRUCE BiaisnELL, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tractors; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as 'will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains .to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to tractors of a type suitable for use in hauling heavy loads; and more particularly is directed to certain features of construction whereby an improved connection is established and maintained between the frame of the tractor and the-:frame of the trailing vehicle.

It is an object of the present invention to provide such a connectionbetween' the y tractor and the trailer that ordinary coal wagons or the like can be used as trailers and can be used interchangeably and'need no particular adjustment orv alteration 1n preparation for connection with the trac tor other than that of removal of the front axle and'other parts up to the fifth wheel .or turntable with which wagons areA ordinarily provided.

- Coal wagons vary in height andit is an object of this invention to provide a support for the fifth wheel of the wagon which shall be adjustable with respect to the ,tractor frame so that by its vertical movement preliminary to coupling up with the trailer the front endof the trailer can be kept at its proper elevation above the roadway.

To accomplish these'` and other objects, which will hereinafter appear, the tractor is provided with a fifth wheel preferably in the form of a flat circular plate and'mounted on jacks whereby it mav be raised or lowered. This fiatv plate Will receive and support wagon fifth wheels of different diy ameters and will give proper support to the front end of the trailing vehicleing means for the fifth wheel ofthe-:trailer Anchor is provided and the parts are so arranged that the tractor fifth wheel may rock with 'i respect to the tractor frame; thereby giving a certain fiexibility to the connection between the tractor frame and the trailing vehicle.

For 'a bettery understanding of the present invention. reference may had tothe;- telf.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nev. 24, 1914'.

' Application mea January 1o, 1914. semina 811,440'.

.lowing detailed' description, which isvto'be taken 1n conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein- F igure 1 is a side elevation of a tractor coupled to its trailer, which inthis instance 1s a coal wagon.` Fig. 2 is a plan view of the tractor fifth wheel partly broken awayT` to show one of the ,jack sockets and one of the anchoring braces. Fig. 3- is a longitu- 'dina'l section through the tractor frame along thecentral line of the tractor fifth wheel. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation transverse to that of Fig. 3 and looking toward the rear of the tractor.

The tractor of mv invention comprises a frame 1- of channel' ironl at the. front of which is mountedl` one or more steering wheels-2', -and onwhichz is carried an engine 3,tra'nsmission and` change speed gearing (l,

thetrailer.4 The tractor frame 1 is sup,`

ported on springs' 10, the forward ends .of which are connected to. rigid anchors 11,

andthe rear ends of which are connected through' swinging links 12'to suitable brack- 'et'sdeoending from the frame of the tractor. Thesev springs carry notv only the weight of the tractor but also supportthe front end of the-trailing vehicle.

In' the.particular-,embodiment here dis'- cl'osed, the trailing vehicle 13 'is a coal wagon, of ordinary type. except for the removal of its front running gear up to the plane of separation between the rigid fifth wheel 14 of the wagon and the correspondiria fifth wheel of the frontaxle.

tReferring to Fig. 4, there is shown -at 15 the floor of the wagonl box of the trailer', and below this, somewhatdiagrammatically represented at 16".. is the support for the wagon fifth'wheel 17. This wagon fifth wheel is*` the one .normally on the wagon `o'otzurs'efl verres-,iin diameter with the type and style of Wagon. The ifth Wheel 1S of the tractor is in the Jiorm of a heavy circular metal plate with a hole in its center ior the reception of a socket 19, through which the king bolt 2() of the trailer may be introduced. Preferably this socket is secured in' place by suitable nuts 21. Except for socket 19, which is shaped to receive the corresponding socket 22, with which -wagons are usually provided, the entire top 'face of the tractor fifth Wheel 18 is a smooth, level surface, adapted to give sup port to wagon fifth Wheels of any ordinary diameter, and Without regard to variations in detail. lThe tractor fifth Wheel 18 is supported on a pair of threaded posts or jacks 23 and fifi, and the connection between each jack and the plate includes a disk 25, the .top face or' which is rounded to limit the area of contact With the tractor iiitth Wheel 18, and the center of which is bored out to receive the cylindrical and reduced upper end oft' the jack. With this arrangement, the jack can turn with respect to its disk and the tractor iii'th wheel can rock on the rounded top 'face of each disk 25. The disks 25 are each inclosed in a housing comprising a ring 2G, and a cover plate 2?, held in position by suitable bolts or rivets. The jacks 23 and 24 are threaded respectively into the sockets 28 and 29, each of which is rigidly secured by rivets, or the like, to one ot the side channel beams of the tractor trame, and each jack may be provided at its lovver end with a Wrench seat 3() whereby it may be turned in its socket to raise or lovver the tractor iii'th Wheel.

As a means for steadying the tractor lilith wheel and Arelieving its jacks oi some of the strain, anchoring means are provided comprising four vertical bars 31 rigidly attached to the tractor fifth Wheel, and each T-shaped in cross-section. Each ot' its bars is movable freely up and down between a pair ot lugs 32 (Fig. 2), and is held by these lugs against lateral movement. l The lower end oi each vertical "lbar is connected withV a diagonal brace 83 which extends upwardly into Contact with the 'lovver tace of the fifth wheel, where it is riveted, and then crosses over and dovvn to connect Withthe opposite T-bar. The parts are so adiusted that there may be a slight rocking movement of the fifth wheel on'the tops ot the jacks before the vertical 'l' -bars 31 strike the ends of lugs 32, and this is of advantage on rough roads in that it allovvs the tractor frame to swing in a vertical plane with respect to the trailing vehicle. No great degree of swinging movement is necessary or in my opinion desirable, and after the fifth Wheel has rocked through a small angle the supports 31 strike and limit YFurther swinging on the jacks. @t course the 'tractor frame is entirely free to swing in a horizontal plane all times and can swing so tar around that theentire equipment is capable of turning in a relatively narrow street.

ltlhen the tractor is in action with the vveight ot the front end of the trailer resting on the tractor iitth Wheel, the push and pull of the loaded trailer is taken not so much by the jacks 23 and 2d as by the anchoring bars 31, for the disks 25 with which the jacks are equipped are capable ot slight movement in their retaining boxes, and the- .the jacks 23 and 2li. For instance, in starting, the tractor iitth Wheel will shift rear- Wardly until the vertical bars 31 strike the edges of lugs 32, and thereby transmit to a crossmember of the tractor iframe the backivard pull oit the loaded trailer.

rlhe king bolt 20, whereby connection is established between the trailer and the tractor fifth Wheel, may be the usual Wagon king bolt, and to disconnect a trailer and substitute another it is only necessary to withdraw the king bolt and hold up the front end of the trailer while the tractor is run out from under. The trailers maybe ordinary coal Wagons such as are in common use, and the interchangeA of one trailer 'for another can be made very quickly and Witlr out any mechanical changes in the parts utilized other than a vertical shifting ot the tractor iifth Wheel by means of its jackets 28 and 24.

l claim:

l. The combination of a tractor iframe, a pair oit jacks carried on said trame, a flat plate mounted to rock on said jacks and an` choring means operatively connecting said plate ivith said frame to protect said jacks 'from the thrust. of the trailer.A

2. lllhe combination of a tractor frame, a pair of jacks carried on said trame, a flat plate mounted on said jacks and movable transversely thereof av small distance, and vertical anchor bars connected to said plate and slidingly mounted in said trame to protect said jacks from the thrust of the trailer.

,3. ln a tractor, the combination of tractor Wheels, a frame carried thereby on springs, sockets rigidly mounted on said trame, a pair .of jacks threaded in said sockets, a flat plate mounted on said jacks and vertical anchor bars connected to-said plate and slidingly mounted in said frame to protect said acks 'from the thrust of the trailer.

d. ln a tractor, thecombination of tractor Wheels, a frame carried thereby on springs, a pair ot' jacks carried on said Jframe, .a dat plate mounted on said jacks, and vertical 'isov anchor bars connected to said plate and slidingly mounted in said frame to protect said j acls from the thrust vof the trailer.

5. The combination of a tractor frame, a-

tifth Wheel carried thereby and consisting of a plate Hat on top to accomodate Wagon fifth Wheels of different diameters,l means forl raising or lowering said fifth Wheel'to and anchoring means connected With said plate and slidingly mounted in said frame to protect said raising or lowering means from the thrust ofthe trailer.

6. The combination of a tractor frame, a pair of jacks carried by said frame, a fifth wheel mounted on saidv jacks and adapted to rock thereon and slide thereover, and means for operatively connecting said plate with said frame to limit the rocking and sliding movements of said plate on said jacks. v

7. The combination of a tractor fra-me, a fifth Wheel for connecting with a trailing vehicle, jacks, adjustably supportingv said fifth Wheel above said frame, rounded caps interposed between said jacks and saidifth wheel, and permitting saidfth Wheel to rock on the jacks and anchor means coperating with the4 tractor frame to limit said swinging movement. i

8. The combination of a tractor frame, a I

pair of jacks carried thereby, rounded caps for said -jacks, a circular plate resting on said caps and adapted to support trailer fifth Wheels of diiferent diameters, and vertical anchor bars rigidly connected with said plate and slidingly connected with said frame to limit .the rocking movement of jacks from the push andpull of the trailer.

9. The combination of a rigid-'tractor jack threaded in each socket, rigid cross frame, sockets rigidly attached thereto, a

members for said frame, lugs thereon formi ing guideways, a circular plate supported ment transversely thereof, and anchoring means for said plate comprising a plurality by said jacksand capable of slight move-l suit the height of the trailer to be hauled,

of vertical bars rigidly attached to the plate and movable up and down in the guideways of said cross members, said vertical bars permitting slight rocking and transverse movements of the plate on the jacks butlimiting these movements. to protect the jacks from the push and pull of the trailer.

l0. The combination of a rigid tractor frame, sockets attached thereto, a jack threaded in each socket, rigid cross members for said frame, lugs thereon forming guide- Ways, rounded caps for said jacks,v a circular plate mounted to rock on saidcaps and capable of slight movement transversely of said jacks, and-,anchoring means for said plate comprising vertical bars rigidly attached thereto and movable up and down in said guideways, said vertical bars limiting the movements of said plate on its jacks and protecting the jacks from the thrust lof the trailer'. v v

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presenceof two Witnesses.' l,

' DAVID BRUCE BLAISDELL.

Witnesses:

W. c. LUNSFORD, 7 ABBA B. MARVIN. 

